OT Heartbreak Sinks Spartans, 3-2

GAME CAPSULE

Michigan State dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime decision to visiting Air Force on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena.

The game was the season opener for both teams.

Winger Willie Reim had the game-winner for the Falcons, crashing the net and beating DeRidder at the 2:36 mark of the extra period. He was fed by freshman Mitchell Digby.

Josh Nodler marked the first goal of the season just 6:24 into the game for MSU on an assist from winger Griffin Loughran, his first point in a Spartan uniform. After Horn's second-period marker gave Air Force a 2-1 lead, Mitchell Lewandowski lit the lamp from a scrum in front at 7:42.

Reim's overtime winner was his second point of the night after assisting on a Nate Horn score in the second period. Horn also had a goal and an assist, while Luke Rowe also scored for Air Force.

Michigan State and Air Force renew acquaintances on Saturday in the second game of the series, with a 7 pm puck drop.

STATISTICS OF NOTE

Josh Nodler and Mitchell Lewandowski had the first two Spartan goals of the season. Nodler opened the scoring in the game at 6:24 of the first period, and Lewandowski's goal tied the game at 2-2 in the second.
Drew DeRidder made 36 saves in his season debut.
Michigan State was dominant in the faceoff circle, winning 39 to AFA's 23 and won 15 of 20 in the opening frame.
Air Force blocked more shots (13-6) and had a 39-31 edge in shots on goal.

SUPPORTING STORYLINES

Mitchell Lewandowski potted his 50^th career goal in the second period to tie the game at 2-2.
Dennis Cesana skated in his 100^th career game
Griffin Loughran had his first career point in Green & White, an assist on Nodler's opening goal. He had 72 career points in his first three collegiate seasons at Northern Michigan

GAME SYNOPSIS

FIRST PERIOD: MSU had an early apparent goal from freshman Jesse Tucker waived off, but got on the board shortly thereafter when Josh Nodler scored the first goal of the Spartan season at 5:30. The lead was short-lived, as the Falcons evened things up with a Luke Rowe goal just under 90 seconds later to knot the game at 1-1. The Spartans outshot their guests 13-11 in the first period, and held a commanding edge in faceoffs, 15-5.

SECOND PERIOD: With Jagger Joshua in the box on a hooking penalty just over three minutes into the period, Air Force got its first power play chance of the game. The Falcons tried to capitalize immediately on the man advantage, but DeRidder stopped the mini-breakaway on a rush to keep it a tie game. The Falcons kept pressing and got the payoff at 4:55 of the frame, when a rebound off a shot from Willie Reim found Nate Horn in the slot, and he buried it for his second point of the night and first goal of the season. Lewandowski tied it up at 7:42, putting back a rebound of a Kristof Papp shot in a scrum in front of the net. Air Force had a slim 12-10 shot advantage in the second, and converted on its only power play chance.

THIRD PERIOD: MSU killed a carryover penalty from the final minute of the second period, and just over a minute later (2:09), it looked like MSU had scored a go-ahead goal when a David Gucciardi shot from the right wall just outside the circle ricocheted off of Papp. The goal was waived off when it was determined that the centerman was in the crease. While the Falcons owned an early 10-2 edge in the period in shots on goal, the Spartans started to generate more chances later in the period and were buzzing a bit in the offensive zone. Air Force outshot MSU 15-8 in the final frame after just two shots separated the teams in each of the first two periods.

OVERTIME: The only shot of the overtime period stood as the game-winner. Defenseman Mitchell Digby brought the puck into the zone along the left wall and dished it to a crashing Reim, who beat DeRidder for the game-winner from the hashmark.

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Team Stats

Mitchell Lewandowski

Josh Nodler

Jeremy Davidson

Kristof Papp

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Drew DeRidder

David Gucciardi

Jagger Joshua

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Jesse Tucker

Players Mentioned

Dennis Cesana

Drew DeRidder

David Gucciardi

Jagger Joshua

Mitchell Lewandowski

Griffin Loughran

Josh Nodler

Kristof Papp

Jesse Tucker